The present invention relates to probe stations, commonly known as package or wafer probers, used manually, semiautomatically or fully automatically to test semiconductor devices. More particularly, the invention relates to such probe stations having environment control enclosures for providing dry, EMI shielded, and/or light-tight environments for such test devices, such as those probe stations shown in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,266,889 and 5,457,398 which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The probe stations shown in the foregoing patents enable lateral movement of the chuck assembly, which supports the test device, relative to the environment control enclosure along orthogonal X and Y lateral axes to properly position the test devices for probing. To enable such movement of the chuck assembly while simultaneously maintaining the integrity of the environment control enclosure, sliding metal plates are provided on the bottom of the environment control enclosure to allow the full X-Y range of motion. These sliding plates work well in a manual or a semiautomatic application. However, for a fully automatic application, movement speeds are much faster and operation approaches twenty-four hours per day, three hundred and sixty-five days per year. Accordingly, a structure having less friction, inertia, and wear than the sliding plates, and adapted for quicker movements, is desirable. Such structure is needed especially for fully automatic applications, but would also be desirable for manual and semiautomatic applications.